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Ms Geraldine Atkinson

Ex-officio member

Geraldine Atkinson is a proud Bangerang/Wiradjuri woman and is Co-Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Council (NATSIEC).  Geraldine held the position of Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria until July 2023 and was elected to the Assembly in November 2019 as a candidate from the Northeast Region.  

For over 40 years, Geraldine has been instrumental in driving government and policy reform in Aboriginal education. From starting in the field as an Aboriginal teacher’s aide in 1976, Geraldine moved forward to become the President of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI), a role she has held since 1999.  In that role she represents the organisation on Koorie education matters across all education sectors: early childhood, school education, and post compulsory education and training. 

Geraldine obtained a Bachelor of Education from Deakin University in 2013 and went on to obtain her Master of Education in 2019. In early 2020, her leadership in Aboriginal education was further recognised with the awarding of a Deakin University Honorary Doctorate Award. 

Beyond the field of education, Geraldine has been a strong voice in areas such as justice, reconciliation, and family violence. Achievements in those areas include:  

  • Member of the Indigenous Family Violence Partnership Forum on the development of the Strong. 
  • Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families: towards a safer future for Indigenous families and communities 10-year plan (2008).  
  • Signatory to Victorian Government’s Burra Lotjpa Dungaludga (“Senior Leaders Talking Strong”) – The Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4 (2019).  
  • Inducted in the Victorian Aboriginal Honor Role (2018).  

“Treaty is about moving forward with an ever-strengthening voice, ensuring we take leadership in any decision-making that impacts on our communities, and always maintaining connection to, and integrity of, culture.” 

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